Storage medium, information processing apparatus, information processing system, and game processing method

ABSTRACT

In a special operation mode which receives an operation input for causing a player character that is falling, to perform a special action including a shooting action of shooting a predetermined object, an example of an information processing apparatus changes the posture of the player character that is falling, according to a component, regarding at least a pitch direction, of the direction of a virtual camera based on a camera operation input. In the special operation mode, the information processing apparatus sets a shooting direction of the predetermined object during the shooting action, according to the direction of the virtual camera based on the camera operation input. Moreover, the information processing apparatus controls the player character to perform the shooting action and control the predetermined object to move to the shooting direction, based on a shooting operation input performed by the player.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2020-96141, filed on Jun. 2, 2020, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The technique shown here relates to a storage medium, an informationprocessing apparatus, an information processing system, and a gameprocessing method for controlling the posture of a player character.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Conventionally, in a virtual game space, a player character is caused toperform an action of shooting an arrow with a bow while the playercharacter is in the air.

Since the player character shoots the arrow in a standing position, whenit is premised that the player character should take a natural posture,the player character cannot shoot the arrow vertically downward, whichmay restrict the direction to which the player character can shoot thearrow.

Therefore, the present application discloses a storage medium, aninformation processing apparatus, an information processing system, anda game processing method capable of increasing the degree of freedom ofthe direction in which a player character performs an action whilenaturally expressing the posture of the player character in the air.

(1) An example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstores a game program to be executed by a processor in an informationprocessing apparatus. The program causes the processor to executecontrolling a player character in a virtual space, based on an operationinput performed by a player. In a falling state in which the playercharacter is falling in the virtual space, the program causing theprocessor to execute: controlling at least one of a falling directionand a falling velocity of the player character that is falling, based ona character operation input performed by the player; controlling aposture of the player character that is falling, based on a characteroperation input performed by the player; controlling a direction of avirtual camera, based on a camera operation input performed by theplayer; and controlling a position of the virtual camera such that atleast the player character is included in a field of view of the virtualcamera, based on a position of the player character and the direction ofthe virtual camera. In a special operation mode which receives anoperation input for causing the player character that is falling toperform a special action including a shooting action of shooting apredetermined object, the program causing the processor to execute:changing the posture of the player character that is falling, accordingto a component, regarding at least a pitch direction, of the directionof the virtual camera based on the camera operation input; setting ashooting direction of the predetermined object during the shootingaction, according to the direction of the virtual camera based on thecamera operation input; and controlling the player character to performthe shooting action and controlling the predetermined object to move tothe shooting direction, based on a shooting operation input performed bythe player.

According to the configuration of the above (1), in the specialoperation mode, the posture of the player character changes according tothe direction of the virtual camera. Therefore, the degree of freedom ofthe shooting direction in which the shooting action is performed can beincreased while naturally expressing the posture of the falling playercharacter.

(2) The game program may cause the processor to execute: in the fallingstate, controlling the player character such that the posture of theplayer character corresponds to at least one of a plurality of types ofpostures including a posture in which an upward direction of the playercharacter is directed downward in the virtual space, and a posture inwhich a forward direction of the player character is directed downwardin the virtual space; and in the falling state, controlling at least oneof the falling direction and the falling velocity according to theposture of the player character.

According to the configuration of the above (2), the posture of theplayer character that is falling can be diversified, and the playercharacter can be moved in a falling direction and/or at a fallingvelocity according to the posture of the player character.

(3) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, controlling a motion of the player character such thatthe player character takes a ready posture for the shooting action,toward a direction according to the component, regarding at least thepitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera based on thecamera operation input.

According to the configuration of the above (3), the player charactercan be caused to perform a natural shooting action, and the player caneasily recognize the shooting direction.

(4) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, changing the ready posture of the player character, as achange in the posture of the player character according to thecomponent, regarding at least the pitch direction, of the direction ofthe virtual camera.

According to the configuration of the above (4), the player charactercan be caused to take a natural ready posture according to the shootingdirection.

(5) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, changing the posture of the player character such thatan upward direction of the player character is directed upward in thevirtual space, in response to that the component, regarding the pitchdirection, of the direction of the virtual camera is changed from astate being downward relative to a first reference direction to a stateof being upward relative to the first reference direction.

According to the configuration of the above (5), the natural posture ofthe player character can be maintained when the shooting directionchanges in response to that the direction of the virtual camera ischanged from the state of being downward relative to the first referencedirection to the state of being upward relative to the first referencedirection.

(6) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, changing the posture of the player character such thatthe upward direction of the player character is directed downward in thevirtual space or a forward direction of the player character is directeddownward in the virtual space, in response to that the component,regarding the pitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera ischanged from a state of being upward relative to a second referencedirection, which is the same as or different from the first referencedirection, to a state of being downward relative to the second referencedirection.

According to the configuration of the above (6), the natural posture ofthe player character can be maintained when the shooting directionchanges in response to that the direction of the virtual camera ischanged from the state of being upward relative to the second referencedirection to the state of being downward relative to the secondreference direction.

(7) The first reference direction may be upward relative to the secondreference direction.

According to the configuration of the above (7), it is possible toreduce the risk of an unnatural motion of the player character such thatthe posture of the player character frequently changes according tochange in the direction of the virtual camera.

(8) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, setting the posture of the player character at a startof the special operation mode, according to the posture of the playercharacter immediately before the start of the special operation mode.

According to the configuration of the above (8), the posture of theplayer character before and after the transition to the specialoperation mode can be made natural.

(9) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the fallingstate, setting the virtual camera such that the direction of the virtualcamera is directed upward in the virtual space, based on a directionchange operation input performed by the player.

According to the configuration of the above (9), the player can easilyperform the operation of turning the virtual camera upward, therebyenhancing operability for the game.

(10) The game program may cause the processor to further execute, in thefalling state, setting the posture of the player character such that aforward direction of the player character is directed upward in thevirtual space, based on the direction change operation input.

According to the configuration of the above (10), the posture of theplayer character can be easily changed, thereby enhancing operabilityfor the player character. According to the configurations of the above(9) and (10), the player can intuitively recognize that the posture ofthe player character has changed, by the change in the direction of thevirtual camera.

(11) In the falling state, the game program may cause the processor toexecute starting the special operation mode in response to that apredetermined key input by the player is started. The shooting operationinput may be an input to end the predetermined key input for startingthe special operation mode. The game program may cause the processor toexecute ending the special operation mode, based on an end operationinput performed by the player.

According to the configuration of the above (11), the player can startand end the special operation mode through a series of operations suchas performing a predetermined key input and ending the key input,whereby operability regarding the operations to start and end thespecial operation mode can be enhanced.

(12) The game program may cause the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, displaying an animation showing a state in which theplayer character appears to fall at a falling velocity lower than thefalling velocity of the player character when it is not in the specialoperation mode.

According to the configuration of the above (12), operability of theoperation of causing the player character to perform the shooting actioncan be enhanced.

This specification discloses examples of an information processingapparatus and an information processing system which execute theprocesses in the above (1) to (12). This specification also discloses anexample of a game processing method for executing the processes in theabove (1) to (12).

According to the storage medium, the information processing apparatus,the information processing system, or the game processing methoddescribed above, the degree of freedom of the direction in which theplayer character performs an action can be increased while naturallyexpressing the posture of the player character in the air.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of theexemplary embodiment will become more apparent from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state where non-limitingleft and right controllers are attached to a non-limiting main bodyapparatus;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a state where each of thenon-limiting left and right controllers is detached from thenon-limiting main body apparatus;

FIG. 3 is six orthogonal views showing an example of the non-limitingmain body apparatus;

FIG. 4 is six orthogonal views showing an example of the non-limitingleft controller;

FIG. 5 is six orthogonal views showing an example of the non-limitingright controller;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of an internalconfiguration of the non-limiting main body apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing examples of internal configurations ofthe non-limiting main body apparatus and the non-limiting left and rightcontrollers;

FIG. 8 shows an example of falling states that a player character cantake;

FIG. 9 shows an example of a game image displayed when the playercharacter is in the state of diving falling;

FIG. 10 shows the relationship between change in the direction of avirtual camera and change in the direction of the player character;

FIG. 11 shows an example of a game image during a special operationmode;

FIG. 12 shows the relationship between change in the direction of thevirtual camera and change in the direction of the player characterduring the special operation mode;

FIG. 13 shows an example of three types of ready postures that theplayer character can take;

FIG. 14 shows an example of a state where the ready posture of theplayer character changes from a downward ready posture to a horizontalready posture;

FIG. 15 shows an example of a state where the ready posture of theplayer character changes from the horizontal ready posture to thedownward ready posture;

FIG. 16 shows an example of various data used for information processingin a non-limiting game system;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of game controlprocessing executed by the non-limiting game system;

FIG. 18 is a sub-flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of aspecial operation mode process in step S9 shown in FIG. 17; and

FIG. 19 is a sub-flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of aposture change process in step S29 shown in FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF NON-LIMITING EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 1.Configuration of Game System

A game system according to an example of an exemplary embodiment isdescribed below. An example of a game system 1 according to theexemplary embodiment includes a main body apparatus (an informationprocessing apparatus; which functions as a game apparatus main body inthe exemplary embodiment) 2, a left controller 3, and a right controller4. Each of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 isattachable to and detachable from the main body apparatus 2. That is,the game system 1 can be used as a unified apparatus obtained byattaching each of the left controller 3 and the right controller 4 tothe main body apparatus 2. Further, in the game system 1, the main bodyapparatus 2, the left controller 3, and the right controller 4 can alsobe used as separate bodies (see FIG. 2). Hereinafter, first, thehardware configuration of the game system 1 according to the exemplaryembodiment is described, and then, the control of the game system 1according to the exemplary embodiment is described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the state where the leftcontroller 3 and the right controller 4 are attached to the main bodyapparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the left controller 3 and theright controller 4 is attached to and unified with the main bodyapparatus 2. The main body apparatus 2 is an apparatus for performingvarious processes (e.g., game processing) in the game system 1. The mainbody apparatus 2 includes a display 12. Each of the left controller 3and the right controller 4 is an apparatus including operation sectionswith which a user provides inputs.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the state where each of theleft controller 3 and the right controller 4 is detached from the mainbody apparatus 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left controller 3 andthe right controller 4 are attachable to and detachable from the mainbody apparatus 2. It should be noted that hereinafter, the leftcontroller 3 and the right controller 4 will occasionally be referred tocollectively as a “controller”.

FIG. 3 is six orthogonal views showing an example of the main bodyapparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the main body apparatus 2 includes anapproximately plate-shaped housing 11. In the exemplary embodiment, amain surface (in other words, a surface on a front side, i.e., a surfaceon which the display 12 is provided) of the housing 11 has a generallyrectangular shape.

It should be noted that the shape and the size of the housing 11 areoptional. As an example, the housing 11 may be of a portable size.Further, the main body apparatus 2 alone or the unified apparatusobtained by attaching the left controller 3 and the right controller 4to the main body apparatus 2 may function as a mobile apparatus. Themain body apparatus 2 or the unified apparatus may function as ahandheld apparatus or a portable apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body apparatus 2 includes the display 12,which is provided on the main surface of the housing 11. The display 12displays an image generated by the main body apparatus 2. In theexemplary embodiment, the display 12 is a liquid crystal display device(LCD). The display 12, however, may be a display device of any type.

Further, the main body apparatus 2 includes a touch panel 13 on a screenof the display 12. In the exemplary embodiment, the touch panel 13 is ofa type that allows a multi-touch input (e.g., a capacitive type). Thetouch panel 13, however, may be of any type. For example, the touchpanel 13 may be of a type that allows a single-touch input (e.g., aresistive type).

The main body apparatus 2 includes speakers (i.e., speakers 88 shown inFIG. 6) within the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 3, speaker holes 11 aand 11 b are formed on the main surface of the housing 11. Then, soundsoutput from the speakers 88 are output through the speaker holes 11 aand 11 b.

Further, the main body apparatus 2 includes a left terminal 17, which isa terminal for the main body apparatus 2 to perform wired communicationwith the left controller 3, and a right terminal 21, which is a terminalfor the main body apparatus 2 to perform wired communication with theright controller 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body apparatus 2 includes a slot 23. Theslot 23 is provided on an upper side surface of the housing 11. The slot23 is so shaped as to allow a predetermined type of storage medium to beattached to the slot 23. The predetermined type of storage medium is,for example, a dedicated storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card)for the game system 1 and an information processing apparatus of thesame type as the game system 1. The predetermined type of storage mediumis used to store, for example, data (e.g., saved data of an applicationor the like) used by the main body apparatus 2 and/or a program (e.g., aprogram for an application or the like) executed by the main bodyapparatus 2. Further, the main body apparatus 2 includes a power button28.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a lower terminal 27. The lowerterminal 27 is a terminal for the main body apparatus 2 to communicatewith a cradle. In the exemplary embodiment, the lower terminal 27 is aUSB connector (more specifically, a female connector). Further, when theunified apparatus or the main body apparatus 2 alone is mounted on thecradle, the game system 1 can display on a stationary monitor an imagegenerated by and output from the main body apparatus 2. Further, in theexemplary embodiment, the cradle has the function of charging theunified apparatus or the main body apparatus 2 alone mounted on thecradle. Further, the cradle has the function of a hub device(specifically, a USB hub).

FIG. 4 is six orthogonal views showing an example of the left controller3. As shown in FIG. 4, the left controller 3 includes a housing 31. Inthe exemplary embodiment, the housing 31 has a vertically long shape,i.e., is shaped to be long in an up-down direction (i.e., a y-axisdirection shown in FIGS. 1 and 4). In the state where the leftcontroller 3 is detached from the main body apparatus 2, the leftcontroller 3 can also be held in the orientation in which the leftcontroller 3 is vertically long. The housing 31 has such a shape and asize that when held in the orientation in which the housing 31 isvertically long, the housing 31 can be held with one hand, particularlythe left hand. Further, the left controller 3 can also be held in theorientation in which the left controller 3 is horizontally long. Whenheld in the orientation in which the left controller 3 is horizontallylong, the left controller 3 may be held with both hands.

The left controller 3 includes an analog stick 32. As shown in FIG. 4,the analog stick 32 is provided on a main surface of the housing 31. Theanalog stick 32 can be used as a direction input section with which adirection can be input. The user tilts the analog stick 32 and therebycan input a direction corresponding to the direction of the tilt (andinput a magnitude corresponding to the angle of the tilt). It should benoted that the left controller 3 may include a directional pad, a slidestick that allows a slide input, or the like as the direction inputsection, instead of the analog stick. Further, in the exemplaryembodiment, it is possible to provide an input by pressing the analogstick 32.

The left controller 3 includes various operation buttons. The leftcontroller 3 includes four operation buttons 33 to 36 (specifically, aright direction button 33, a down direction button 34, an up directionbutton 35, and a left direction button 36) on the main surface of thehousing 31. Further, the left controller 3 includes a record button 37and a “−” (minus) button 47. The left controller 3 includes a firstL-button 38 and a ZL-button 39 in an upper left portion of a sidesurface of the housing 31. Further, the left controller 3 includes asecond L-button 43 and a second R-button 44, on the side surface of thehousing 31 on which the left controller 3 is attached to the main bodyapparatus 2. These operation buttons are used to give instructionsdepending on various programs (e.g., an OS program and an applicationprogram) executed by the main body apparatus 2.

Further, the left controller 3 includes a terminal 42 for the leftcontroller 3 to perform wired communication with the main body apparatus2.

FIG. 5 is six orthogonal views showing an example of the rightcontroller 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the right controller 4 includes ahousing 51. In the exemplary embodiment, the housing 51 has a verticallylong shape, i.e., is shaped to be long in the up-down direction. In thestate where the right controller 4 is detached from the main bodyapparatus 2, the right controller 4 can also be held in the orientationin which the right controller 4 is vertically long. The housing 51 hassuch a shape and a size that when held in the orientation in which thehousing 51 is vertically long, the housing 51 can be held with one hand,particularly the right hand. Further, the right controller 4 can also beheld in the orientation in which the right controller 4 is horizontallylong. When held in the orientation in which the right controller 4 ishorizontally long, the right controller 4 may be held with both hands.

Similarly to the left controller 3, the right controller 4 includes ananalog stick 52 as a direction input section. In the exemplaryembodiment, the analog stick 52 has the same configuration as that ofthe analog stick 32 of the left controller 3. Further, the rightcontroller 4 may include a directional pad, a slide stick that allows aslide input, or the like, instead of the analog stick. Further,similarly to the left controller 3, the right controller 4 includes fouroperation buttons 53 to 56 (specifically, an A-button 53, a B-button 54,an X-button 55, and a Y-button 56) on a main surface of the housing 51.Further, the right controller 4 includes a “+” (plus) button 57 and ahome button 58. Further, the right controller 4 includes a firstR-button 60 and a ZR-button 61 in an upper right portion of a sidesurface of the housing 51. Further, similarly to the left controller 3,the right controller 4 includes a second L-button 65 and a secondR-button 66.

Further, the right controller 4 includes a terminal 64 for the rightcontroller 4 to perform wired communication with the main body apparatus2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the internalconfiguration of the main body apparatus 2. The main body apparatus 2includes components 81 to 91, 97, and 98 shown in FIG. 6 in addition tothe components shown in FIG. 3. Some of the components 81 to 91, 97, and98 may be mounted as electronic components on an electronic circuitboard and accommodated in the housing 11.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a processor 81. The processor 81 isan information processing section for executing various types ofinformation processing to be executed by the main body apparatus 2. Forexample, the processor 81 may be composed only of a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit), or may be composed of a SoC (System-on-a-chip) havinga plurality of functions such as a CPU function and a GPU (GraphicsProcessing Unit) function. The processor 81 executes an informationprocessing program (e.g., a game program) stored in a storage section(specifically, an internal storage medium such as a flash memory 84, anexternal storage medium attached to the slot 23, or the like), therebyperforming the various types of information processing.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a flash memory 84 and a DRAM (DynamicRandom Access Memory) 85 as examples of internal storage media builtinto the main body apparatus 2. The flash memory 84 and the DRAM 85 areconnected to the processor 81. The flash memory 84 is a memory mainlyused to store various data (or programs) to be saved in the main bodyapparatus 2. The DRAM 85 is a memory used to temporarily store variousdata used for information processing.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a slot interface (hereinafterabbreviated as “I/F”) 91. The slot I/F 91 is connected to the processor81. The slot I/F 91 is connected to the slot 23, and in accordance withan instruction from the processor 81, reads and writes data from and tothe predetermined type of storage medium (e.g., a dedicated memory card)attached to the slot 23.

The processor 81 appropriately reads and writes data from and to theflash memory 84, the DRAM 85, and each of the above storage media,thereby performing the above information processing.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a network communication section 82.The network communication section 82 is connected to the processor 81.The network communication section 82 communicates (specifically, throughwireless communication) with an external apparatus via a network. In theexemplary embodiment, as a first communication form, the networkcommunication section 82 connects to a wireless LAN and communicateswith an external apparatus, using a method compliant with the Wi-Fistandard. Further, as a second communication form, the networkcommunication section 82 wirelessly communicates with another main bodyapparatus 2 of the same type, using a predetermined communication method(e.g., communication based on a unique protocol or infrared lightcommunication). It should be noted that the wireless communication inthe above second communication form achieves the function of enablingso-called “local communication” in which the main body apparatus 2 canwirelessly communicate with another main body apparatus 2 placed in aclosed local network area, and the plurality of main body apparatuses 2directly communicate with each other to transmit and receive data.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a controller communication section83. The controller communication section 83 is connected to theprocessor 81. The controller communication section 83 wirelesslycommunicates with the left controller 3 and/or the right controller 4.The communication method between the main body apparatus 2 and the leftcontroller 3 and the right controller 4 is optional. In the exemplaryembodiment, the controller communication section 83 performscommunication compliant with the Bluetooth (registered trademark)standard with the left controller 3 and with the right controller 4.

The processor 81 is connected to the left terminal 17, the rightterminal 21, and the lower terminal 27. When performing wiredcommunication with the left controller 3, the processor 81 transmitsdata to the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17 and also receivesoperation data from the left controller 3 via the left terminal 17.Further, when performing wired communication with the right controller4, the processor 81 transmits data to the right controller 4 via theright terminal 21 and also receives operation data from the rightcontroller 4 via the right terminal 21. Further, when communicating withthe cradle, the processor 81 transmits data to the cradle via the lowerterminal 27. As described above, in the exemplary embodiment, the mainbody apparatus 2 can perform both wired communication and wirelesscommunication with each of the left controller 3 and the rightcontroller 4. Further, when the unified apparatus obtained by attachingthe left controller 3 and the right controller 4 to the main bodyapparatus 2 or the main body apparatus 2 alone is attached to thecradle, the main body apparatus 2 can output data (e.g., image data orsound data) to the stationary monitor or the like via the cradle.

Here, the main body apparatus 2 can communicate with a plurality of leftcontrollers 3 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Further, themain body apparatus 2 can communicate with a plurality of rightcontrollers 4 simultaneously (in other words, in parallel). Thus, aplurality of users can simultaneously provide inputs to the main bodyapparatus 2, each using a set of the left controller 3 and the rightcontroller 4. As an example, a first user can provide an input to themain body apparatus 2 using a first set of the left controller 3 and theright controller 4, and simultaneously, a second user can provide aninput to the main body apparatus 2 using a second set of the leftcontroller 3 and the right controller 4.

Further, the display 12 is connected to the processor 81. The processor81 displays a generated image (e.g., an image generated by executing theabove information processing) and/or an externally acquired image on thedisplay 12.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a codec circuit 87 and speakers(specifically, a left speaker and a right speaker) 88. The codec circuit87 is connected to the speakers 88 and a sound input/output terminal 25and also connected to the processor 81. The codec circuit 87 is acircuit for controlling the input and output of sound data to and fromthe speakers 88 and the sound input/output terminal 25.

The main body apparatus 2 includes a power control section 97 and abattery 98. The power control section 97 is connected to the battery 98and the processor 81. Further, although not shown in FIG. 6, the powercontrol section 97 is connected to components of the main body apparatus2 (specifically, components that receive power supplied from the battery98, the left terminal 17, and the right terminal 21). Based on a commandfrom the processor 81, the power control section 97 controls the supplyof power from the battery 98 to the above components.

Further, the battery 98 is connected to the lower terminal 27. When anexternal charging device (e.g., the cradle) is connected to the lowerterminal 27, and power is supplied to the main body apparatus 2 via thelower terminal 27, the battery 98 is charged with the supplied power.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing examples of the internalconfigurations of the main body apparatus 2, the left controller 3, andthe right controller 4. It should be noted that the details of theinternal configuration of the main body apparatus 2 are shown in FIG. 6and therefore are omitted in FIG. 7.

The left controller 3 includes a communication control section 101,which communicates with the main body apparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 7,the communication control section 101 is connected to componentsincluding the terminal 42. In the exemplary embodiment, thecommunication control section 101 can communicate with the main bodyapparatus 2 through both wired communication via the terminal 42 andwireless communication not via the terminal 42. The communicationcontrol section 101 controls the method for communication performed bythe left controller 3 with the main body apparatus 2. That is, when theleft controller 3 is attached to the main body apparatus 2, thecommunication control section 101 communicates with the main bodyapparatus 2 via the terminal 42. Further, when the left controller 3 isdetached from the main body apparatus 2, the communication controlsection 101 wirelessly communicates with the main body apparatus 2(specifically, the controller communication section 83). The wirelesscommunication between the communication control section 101 and thecontroller communication section 83 is performed in accordance with theBluetooth (registered trademark) standard, for example.

Further, the left controller 3 includes a memory 102 such as a flashmemory. The communication control section 101 includes, for example, amicrocomputer (or a microprocessor) and executes firmware stored in thememory 102, thereby performing various processes.

The left controller 3 includes buttons 103 (specifically, the buttons 33to 39, 43, 44, and 47). Further, the left controller 3 includes theanalog stick (“stick” in FIG. 7) 32. Each of the buttons 103 and theanalog stick 32 outputs information regarding an operation performed onitself to the communication control section 101 repeatedly atappropriate timing.

The communication control section 101 acquires information regarding aninput (specifically, information regarding an operation or the detectionresult of the sensor) from each of input sections (specifically, thebuttons 103, and, the analog stick 32). The communication controlsection 101 transmits operation data including the acquired information(or information obtained by performing predetermined processing on theacquired information) to the main body apparatus 2. It should be notedthat the operation data is transmitted repeatedly, once everypredetermined time. It should be noted that the interval at which theinformation regarding an input is transmitted from each of the inputsections to the main body apparatus 2 may or may not be the same.

The above operation data is transmitted to the main body apparatus 2,whereby the main body apparatus 2 can obtain inputs provided to the leftcontroller 3. That is, the main body apparatus 2 can determineoperations on the buttons 103 and the analog stick 32 based on theoperation data.

The left controller 3 includes a power supply section 108. In theexemplary embodiment, the power supply section 108 includes a batteryand a power control circuit. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the powercontrol circuit is connected to the battery and also connected tocomponents of the left controller 3 (specifically, components thatreceive power supplied from the battery).

As shown in FIG. 7, the right controller 4 includes a communicationcontrol section 111, which communicates with the main body apparatus 2.Further, the right controller 4 includes a memory 112, which isconnected to the communication control section 111. The communicationcontrol section 111 is connected to components including the terminal64. The communication control section 111 and the memory 112 havefunctions similar to those of the communication control section 101 andthe memory 102, respectively, of the left controller 3. Thus, thecommunication control section 111 can communicate with the main bodyapparatus 2 through both wired communication via the terminal 64 andwireless communication not via the terminal 64 (specifically,communication compliant with the Bluetooth (registered trademark)standard). The communication control section 111 controls the method forcommunication performed by the right controller 4 with the main bodyapparatus 2.

The right controller 4 includes input sections similar to the inputsections of the left controller 3. Specifically, the right controller 4includes buttons 113, and, the analog stick 52. These input sectionshave functions similar to those of the input sections of the leftcontroller 3 and operate similarly to the input sections of the leftcontroller 3.

The right controller 4 includes a power supply section 118. The powersupply section 118 has a function similar to that of the power supplysection 108 of the left controller 3 and operates similarly to the powersupply section 108.

2. Outline of Processing in Game System

An outline of game processing performed in a game system 1 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 8 to 15. In the exemplary embodiment,in a game according to the game processing, a player character operatedby a player (in other words, a user) moves in a virtualthree-dimensional game space. In the game space, the player characterfalls in the air when it dives from a height, for example. In theexemplary embodiment, the player can perform several operations to thefalling player character. Hereinafter, motion control for the playercharacter that is falling in the air in the game space will be mainlydescribed.

2-1. Posture While Falling

In the exemplary embodiment, the player character can take five fallingstates as follows.

-   -   normal falling    -   low-velocity falling    -   diving falling    -   backward falling    -   high-velocity falling

The game system 1 controls the player character so that the playercharacter takes different postures for the respective falling states(see FIG. 8).

In this specification, a “posture” of the player character includes apose and a stance, of the player character, that the player canrecognize. That is, the phrase “the posture of the player charactervaries” means that the pose and/or the stance of the player charactervaries.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the falling states that the player charactercan take. In the exemplary embodiment, a player character 201 is able toshoot an arrow by using a bow, and possesses a bow object 202. Althoughdescribed later in detail, the player character 201 takes a posture ofholding a bow when shooting an arrow. On the other hand, when the playercharacter does not hold the bow, the player character 201 carries thebow object 202 on its back (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, the normal falling is a state where the playercharacter 201 falls with its head upward in the game space while takinga posture as if standing with its arms a little up. In the exemplaryembodiment, the player character 201 firstly takes the posture of normalfalling when it falls from a height without performing a jumping actiondescribed later. During the normal falling, the player cannot performsan operation of moving the player character 201. That is, during thenormal falling, the player character 201 falls downward according to thelaws of physics (e.g., the law of motion and the law of gravity) adoptedin the game.

The player character 201 in the state of normal falling transitions tothe state of low-velocity falling, according to an item use instructionby the player (e.g., an input instruction performed by pressing theX-button 55 of the right controller 4) (see FIG. 8). Moreover, theplayer character 201 in the state of normal falling transitions to thestate of diving falling, according to a diving instruction by the player(e.g., an input instruction performed by pressing the first R-button ofthe right controller 4, or an input instruction performed by tilting theanalog stick 32 of the left controller 3 upward) (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, the low-velocity falling is a state where the playercharacter 201 falls in a posture of hanging from an item 203 whichimitates a parachute. During the low-velocity falling, the playercharacter 201 falls with its head upward in the game space, like thenormal falling. During the low-velocity falling, the player character201 falls at a falling velocity lower than that of the normal falling(specifically, at the lowest falling velocity among the five fallingstates). During the low-velocity falling, the player character 201 fallsas if gliding while traveling forward. In the exemplary embodiment,during the low-velocity falling, the player character 201 falls whilemoving leftward and rightward, according to a left/right movementinstruction by the player (e.g., an input instruction performed bytilting the analog stick 32 of the left controller 3). Specifically,during the low-velocity falling, the player character 201 falls as ifturning to the left and right (e.g., curving to the left and right whiletraveling forward), according to the left/right movement instruction.The player character 201 in the state of low-velocity fallingtransitions to the state of normal falling, according to an item endinstruction by the player (e.g., an input instruction performed bypressing the B-button 54 of the right controller 4) (see FIG. 8).

While the player character 201 is falling, the position and thedirection of a virtual camera for generating a game image are changedaccording to a camera instruction by the player (e.g., an inputinstruction performed by tilting the analog stick 52 of the rightcontroller 4). For example, the virtual camera moves so as to rotate inthe yaw direction according to the camera instruction in the left-rightdirection, and moves so as to rotate in the pitch direction according tothe camera instruction in the up-down direction (see FIG. 10). Moreover,in the exemplary embodiment, when the player character 201 is falling,the virtual camera is controlled such that the position and thedirection thereof allow the player character 201 to be included in thefield of view of the virtual camera.

The player character 201 in the state of low-velocity fallingtransitions to the state of diving falling, according to a divinginstruction by the player (e.g., an input instruction performed bypressing the first R-button 60 of the right controller 4) (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, the diving falling is a state where the playercharacter 201 falls with a forward direction thereof (i.e., the forwarddirection based on the direction of the player character 201) beingdirected downward in the game space, while taking a posture ofstretching its arms and legs outward (like sky diving). During thediving falling, the player character 201 falls at a falling velocitylower than that of the normal falling and higher than that of thelow-velocity falling. In the exemplary embodiment, the player character201 can transition from the state of normal falling to the state ofdiving falling as described above. If the player character 201 fallsfrom a height while performing a jumping action (e.g., an action ofjumping from the height), the player character 201 firstly takes theposture of diving falling.

In this specification, the phrase “a certain direction is directeddownward” includes a state where this direction is directed verticallydownward, and a state where this direction is directed substantiallydownward. For example, if the certain direction has an angle of 20° withrespect to the vertically downward direction, it can be said thiscertain direction is directed downward. Likewise, the phrase “a certaindirection is directed upward” includes a state where this direction isdirected vertically upward, and a state where this direction is directedsubstantially upward.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a game image displayed when the playercharacter is in the state of diving falling. In the exemplaryembodiment, when the diving falling has started, the game system 1 setsthe virtual camera at a position above the player character 201(specifically, above the player character 201 in the game space) suchthat the virtual camera faces downward in the game space. This settingis performed by the game system 1 automatically (i.e., without a camerainstruction by the player). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when thediving falling has started, a game image showing a game space in whichthe falling direction of the player character 201 is viewed from a viewpoint behind the player character 201, is displayed on the display 12.This allows the player to intuitively recognize that the playercharacter 201 has entered the state of diving falling. Moreover, thevirtual camera is directed to the traveling direction of the playercharacter 201 during the diving falling. This allows the player toeasily perform an operation to the player character 201 during thediving falling.

The game image shown in FIG. 9 includes a stamina gauge 206 indicatingstamina of the player character 201. In the exemplary embodiment, aparameter indicating stamina is set for the player character 201. Forexample, the stamina of the player character 201 gradually decreaseswith the lapse of time while the player character 201 falls in the stateof low-velocity falling. For example, the stamina of the playercharacter 201 decreases by a predetermined amount when the playercharacter 201 performs an action of shooting an arrow described later.If the stamina becomes 0 (zero) while the player character 201 falls,the player character 201 transitions to the state of normal falling.

In the exemplary embodiment, during the diving falling, according to anup, down, left, or right movement instruction by the player (e.g., aninput instruction performed by tilting the analog stick 32 of the leftcontroller 3), the player character 201 falls while moving forward,backward, leftward, or rightward in the game space (components parallelto a horizontal plane in the game space) with respect to the playercharacter 201 facing downward in the game space (it can be said that theforward direction is substantially the falling direction). Specifically,during the diving falling, the player character 201 performs a downwardfalling movement while moving with respect to the horizontal directionin the game space. In the exemplary embodiment, the amount of movementper unit time in the horizontal direction during the diving falling issmaller than the amount of movement per unit time in the horizontaldirection during the low-velocity falling. That is, the player can causethe player character 201 to move more largely with respect to thehorizontal direction during the low-velocity falling than during thediving falling.

The player character 201 in the state of diving falling transitions tothe state of normal falling, according to a diving end instruction bythe player (e.g., an input instruction performed by pressing theB-button 54 of the right controller 4) (see FIG. 8). The playercharacter 201 in the state of diving falling transitions to the state oflow-velocity falling, according to the item use instruction by theplayer (see FIG. 8).

Moreover, the player character 201 in the state of diving fallingtransitions to the state of backward falling, according to a turn startinstruction by the player (e.g., an input instruction performed bypressing the A-button 53 of the right controller 4) (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, the backward falling is a state where the playercharacter 201 falls in a posture in which the forward direction of theplayer character 201 is directed upward in the game space and the playercharacter 201 puts its arms down and bends its needs a little (e.g.,face-up posture). During the backward falling, the player character 201falls at the same falling velocity as that of the diving falling.

In the exemplary embodiment, when the backward falling has started, thegame system 1 sets the virtual camera at a position beneath the playercharacter 201 (specifically, beneath the player character 201 in thegame space) such that the virtual camera faces upward in the game space.This setting is automatically performed by the game system 1. Thus, whenthe backward falling has started, the virtual camera is set to bedirected upward in the game space from behind the player character 201.

As described above, in the exemplary embodiment, while the playercharacter is in the falling state, the game system 1 turns the virtualcamera so that the direction of the virtual camera is directed upward inthe game space, based on a direction change operation input by theplayer (e.g., an input for a turn start instruction). This allows theplayer to easily perform the operation of turning the virtual cameraupward, thereby enhancing operability for the game. Furthermore, in theexemplary embodiment, the game system 1 changes the posture of theplayer character so that the forward direction of the player characteris directed upward in the game space, based on the direction changeoperation input. This allows the player to easily change the posture ofthe player character, thereby enhancing operability for the playercharacter. Moreover, in the exemplary embodiment, since the posture ofthe player character and the direction of the virtual camera are changedbased on the direction change operation input, the player canintuitively recognize that the posture of the player character haschanged, by the change in the direction of the virtual camera.

In the exemplary embodiment, during the backward falling, like thediving falling, the player character 201 moves according to an up, down,left, or right movement instruction performed by the player. That is,according to the up, down, left, or right movement instruction, theplayer character 201 falls while moving forward, backward, leftward, orrightward in the game space (components parallel to the horizontal planein the game space) with respect to the player character 201. However, inanother embodiment, the game system 1 may inhibit the player to performa movement control to the player character 201 in the state of backwardfalling.

The player character 201 in the state of backward falling transitions tothe state immediately before the backward falling (specifically, thestate of diving falling, or the state of high-velocity falling describedlater), according to a turn end instruction by the player (e.g., aninput instruction performed by pressing the A-button 53 of the rightcontroller 4) (see FIG. 8).

The player character 201 in the state of diving falling transitions tothe state of high-velocity falling, according to a high-velocity fallingstart instruction by the player (e.g., an input instruction performed bypressing the first R-button 60 of the right controller 4) (see FIG. 8).The player character 201 in the state of high-velocity fallingtransitions to the state of diving falling, according to a high-velocityfalling end instruction by the player (e.g., an input instructionperformed by releasing the first R-button 60 that has been pressed tostart the high-velocity falling) (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, the high-velocity falling is a state where theplayer character 201 falls with its head downward in the game spacewhile taking a posture as if standing with its arms down and its headbeing directed to the traveling direction. During the high-velocityfalling, the player character 201 falls at a falling velocity higherthan that of the normal falling (i.e., at the highest falling velocityamong the five falling states).

During the high-velocity falling, like the diving falling, according toan up, down, left, or right movement instruction by the player, theplayer character 201 falls while moving forward, backward, leftward, orrightward in the game space (components parallel to the horizontal planein the game space) with respect to the player character 201. However, inthe exemplary embodiment, the amount of movement per unit time in thehorizontal direction during the high-velocity falling is smaller thanthe amount of movement per unit time in the horizontal direction duringthe diving falling. That is, the player can cause the player character201 to move more largely with respect to the horizontal direction duringthe diving falling than during the high-velocity falling.

The player character 201 in the state of high-velocity fallingtransitions to the state of backward falling, according to the turnstart instruction by the player (see FIG. 8).

As described above, when the diving falling or the backward falling hasstarted, the position and the direction of the virtual camera areautomatically controlled. Meanwhile, during the diving falling, thebackward falling, or the high-velocity falling, like the normal fallingor the low-velocity falling, the position and the direction of thevirtual camera are controlled according to a camera instruction by theplayer. At this time, the virtual camera is controlled such that theposition and the direction thereof allow the player character 201 to beincluded in the field of view of the virtual camera.

In the exemplary embodiment, when the player character 201 takes aposture corresponding to any one of four falling states (i.e., theaforementioned falling states excluding the normal state), the directionof the player character 201 is controlled according to the direction ofthe virtual camera.

FIG. 10 shows the relationship between change in the direction of thevirtual camera and change in the direction of the player character. Inthe exemplary embodiment, when the player character 201 takes one of thepostures corresponding to the four falling states, the direction of theplayer character 201 is controlled according to a yaw directioncomponent, in the game space, of the direction of the virtual camera205. The yaw direction is a direction of rotation around a rotation axisperpendicular to the horizontal direction in the game space. In theexample shown in FIG. 10, when the virtual camera 205 is located behindthe player character 201, the virtual camera 205 moves to rotate in theyaw direction around the player character 201, and moves to a positionP1, in response to that an input instruction to the left direction isperformed. At this time, the direction of the virtual camera 205 alsochanges in the yaw direction (specifically, the virtual cameral 205turns right). Thus, according to the change in the direction of thevirtual camera 25, the player character 201 turns such that thedirection thereof is directed to the line-of-sight direction of thevirtual cameral (see an arrow shown in FIG. 10). The direction of theplayer character 201 may not necessarily be controlled to alwayscoincide with the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera 205, andmay be controlled to follow (i.e., with a certain degree of delay) theline-of-sight direction of the virtual camera 205. Thus, regarding theyaw direction, the direction of the player character 201 is notsignificantly shifted from the line-of-sight direction of the virtualcamera, which enables the player to easily perform an operation ofmoving the player character 201 (e.g., an operation using the analogstick 32 of the left controller 3).

When the player character 201 takes one of the postures corresponding tothe four falling states, even if the direction of the virtual camera 205changes in the pitch direction in the game space, the direction of theplayer character 201 is not changed. The pitch direction is a directionof rotation around a rotation axis that is parallel to the horizontaldirection in the game space and is perpendicular to the line-of-sightdirection of the virtual camera. In the example shown in FIG. 10, whenthe virtual camera 205 is located behind the player character 201, thevirtual camera 205 moves to rotate in the pitch direction around theplayer character 201, and moves to the position P2, in response to thatan input instruction to the down direction is performed. At this time,the direction of the virtual camera 205 also changes in the pitchdirection (specifically, the virtual camera 205 turns up). The directionof the player character 201 is not controlled in response to the changein the direction of the virtual camera in the pitch direction. Thereason is as follows. Regarding the change in the pitch direction, evenif the direction of the player character 201 is shifted from theline-of-sight direction of the virtual camera, the player feels lessdiscomfort regarding an operation of moving the player character 201.

As described above, in the exemplary embodiment, the player performs, tothe falling player character 201, a movement instruction or aninstruction to change the falling state, thereby controlling the fallingdirection and/or the falling velocity of the player character 201. Inanother embodiment, the player may control only one of the fallingdirection and the falling velocity of the player character 201.

In the exemplary embodiment, when the player character is in the fallingstate, the game system 1 controls the player character such that theposture of the player character corresponds to at least one of aplurality of postures including: a posture in which an upward directionof the player character (i.e., the upward direction viewed from theplayer character) is directed downward in the game space (e.g., theposture corresponding to the high-velocity falling); and a posture inwhich the forward direction of the player character is directed downwardin the game space (e.g., the posture corresponding to the divingfalling). Moreover, the game system 1 controls at least one of thefalling direction and the falling velocity according to the posture ofthe player character (e.g., the falling velocity is changed between thehigh-velocity falling and the diving falling). Thus, the posture of theplayer character that is falling can be diversified, and the playercharacter can be caused to move in the falling direction and/or at thefalling velocity according to the posture of the player character.

As for the aforementioned five falling states, the posture of the playercharacter 201, the behavior (e.g., falling velocity) of the playercharacter 201, whether or not a movement operation to the playercharacter 201 is possible, the content of the movement operation,whether or not an operation to the virtual camera is possible, and thecontent of the operation, are arbitrary, and are not limited to thosementioned above. In another embodiment, the states that the playercharacter 201 can take while it is falling are not limited to theaforementioned five states. In the other embodiment, the playercharacter 201 need not be able to take all the five states. Moreover, inthe other embodiment, the conditions for changing the falling state ofthe player character 201 are arbitrary, and are not limited to theconditions described in the exemplary embodiment.

2-2. Processing in Special Operation Mode

Next, processing in a special operation mode while the player characteris falling, will be described. In the exemplary embodiment, the playercharacter 201 can perform a shooting action (in this embodiment, anaction of shooting an arrow with a bow) while it is falling. The specialoperation mode is a process mode for causing the player character 201 toperform an action of shooting an arrow, based on an instruction by theplayer.

In the exemplary embodiment, the player character 201 takes a readyposture for shooting an arrow (specifically, a posture of holding a bowobject 202; see FIG. 13) while it is falling, according to a readyinstruction by the player. Moreover, while taking the ready posture, theplayer character 201 performs an action of shooting an arrow, accordingto a shooting instruction by the player. While taking the ready posture,the player character 201 ends the ready posture and returns to theposture in the falling state, according to a ready posture endinstruction by the player. The special operation mode is started withthe ready instruction, and ended with the ready posture end instruction.

In the exemplary embodiment, the ready instruction is an inputinstruction performed by pressing the ZR-button of the right controller4, and the shooting instruction is an input instruction performed byreleasing the ZR-button having been pressed for the ready instruction.In the exemplary embodiment, the game system 1 starts the specialoperation mode, in response to that a predetermined key input (e.g., aninput to the ZR-button 61) is started by the player while the playercharacter 201 is in the falling state. A shooting operation input forcausing the player character 201 to perform the shooting action is aninput for ending the predetermined key input that has started thespecial operation mode. The game system 1 ends the special operationmode, based on an end operation input by the player (e.g., an input forthe ready posture end instruction). Thus, the player can start and endthe special operation mode through a series of operations such asperforming a predetermined key input and ending the key input (e.g.,pressing a predetermined button and releasing the button), wherebyoperability is enhanced.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a game image in the special operation mode.As shown in FIG. 11, when the game system 1 is in the special operationmode (i.e., when the player character 201 takes the ready posture), agame image showing a game space in which the player character 201holding the bow object 202 is viewed from behind, is displayed on thedisplay 12. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, the game image includes anaim marker 207. The aim marker 207 indicates an arrow shooting directionwhen an arrow is shot in response to a shooting instruction performed bythe player. In the exemplary embodiment, the aim marker 207 is displayedat a predetermined position (e.g., center position) in the game imageshowing the game space.

In the exemplary embodiment, even during the special operation mode, thegame system 1 receives the camera instruction for operating the virtualcamera, as in the case where the game system 1 is not in the specialoperation mode. Moreover, in the special operation mode, the directionof shooting an arrow by the player character 201 changes in response tothat the direction of the virtual camera is changed by the camerainstruction. In the exemplary embodiment, the shooting direction is setaccording to the direction of the virtual camera such that the aimmarker 207 is placed at a predetermined position in the game image,regardless of the direction of the virtual camera.

FIG. 12 shows the relationship between change in the direction of thevirtual camera during the special operation mode and change in theposture of the player character. As shown in FIG. 12, in the exemplaryembodiment, the direction to which the player character 201 points anarrow changes according to change in the direction of the virtualcamera. For example, when the line-of-sight direction of the virtualcamera is changed to be directed downward relative to the horizontaldirection in the game space, the player character 201 points an arrowobject 209 downward relative to the horizontal direction (see (a) ofFIG. 12). When the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera ischanged to be directed upward relative to the horizontal direction inthe game space, the player character 201 points the arrow object 209upward relative to the horizontal direction (see (b) of FIG. 12). In theexemplary embodiment, the game system 1 controls the motion of theplayer character 201 such that the line-of-sight direction of thevirtual camera coincide with the direction (i.e., shooting direction) ofthe arrow object 209.

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment, in thespecial operation mode, the game system 1 controls the motion of theplayer character such that the player character takes a posture for ashooting action to a direction according to a component, regarding atleast the pitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera basedon a camera operation input (e.g., an input for making a camerainstruction). This enables the player character to perform a naturalshooting action, and enables the player to easily recognize the shootingdirection.

Although FIG. 12 shows the case where the direction of the virtualcamera changes in the pitch direction in the game space, therelationship shown in FIG. 12 is also applicable to the case where thedirection of the virtual camera changes in the yaw direction in the gamespace. That is, in the exemplary embodiment, when the direction of thevirtual camera changes in the yaw direction in the game space, the gamesystem 1 controls the motion of the player character 201 such that thedirection to which the arrow object 209 is pointed is changed in the yawdirection. Thus, it is possible to control the player character 201 totake a natural posture according to the shooting direction, for both thechange in the pitch direction and the change in the yaw direction of thedirection of the virtual camera.

The motion of changing the direction of the arrow may be a motion of theplayer character 201 changing its posture (see FIG. 12), or may be amotion of the player character 201 changing (without changing itsposture) the direction of the entire player character 201 holding thebow and the arrow (see change from state A to state B shown in FIG. 14).In the exemplary embodiment, when the ready posture of the playercharacter 201 is the horizontal ready posture or the upward readyposture described later, the player character 201 changes its posture(e.g., changes the direction of its upper body) to change the directionof the arrow. Meanwhile, when the ready posture of the player character201 is a downward ready posture described later, the player character201 changes the direction of the entire player character 201 holding thebow and the arrow to change the direction of the arrow.

In the exemplary embodiment, in the special operation mode, the gamesystem 1 does not receive a movement instruction for moving the playercharacter 201. That is, in the special operation mode, the player cannotperform a movement operation to the player character 201. In anotherembodiment, the game system 1 may receive a movement instruction even inthe special operation mode.

In the exemplary embodiment, in the special operation mode, a slowdisplay in which motions of objects (excluding a shot arrow object) inthe game space become slow, is performed. That is, in the specialoperation mode, passage of time in the game space is expressed slowerthan usual (e.g., motions of the objects are expressed at a speedone-tenth ( 1/10) the speed in the case where the game system 1 is notin the special operation mode). Therefore, on the display, the playercharacter 201 falls slowly, and the other objects, excluding the shotarrow object, also move slowly. This enables the player to easily aim ata target by using the aim marker 207 while the player character 201 isfalling, and easily perform an operation of causing the player character201 to shoot an arrow.

As described above, in the exemplary embodiment, the game system 1, inthe special operation mode, displays an animation showing the statewhere the player character 201 appears to fall at a falling velocitylower than that in the case where the game system 1 is not in thespecial operation mode. Thus, operability of the operation of causingthe player character 201 to perform the shooting action can be enhanced.

In the exemplary embodiment, the game system 1, in the special operationmode, performs a display process in which the speed of the entire gamespace is reduced. That is, in the special operation mode, not only thefalling velocity of the player character 201 but also the movingvelocities of the other objects present in the game space are reduced.In another embodiment, the game system 1, in the special operation mode,may reduce only the falling velocity of the player character 201 withoutchanging the moving velocities of the other objects present in the gamespace. Also in this case, operability of the operation of causing theplayer character 201 to perform the shooting action can be enhanced asin the exemplary embodiment.

In the exemplary embodiment, the game system 1, in the special operationmode, changes the direction to which the player character 201 points anarrow, according to the direction of the virtual camera, and if acondition is satisfied, changes the ready posture (specifically, thetype of the ready posture). In the special operation mode, the playercharacter 201 can take three types of ready postures as follows.

-   -   horizontal ready posture    -   downward ready posture    -   upward ready posture

The game system 1 determines a posture that the player character 201should take from among the three types of ready postures, according tothe direction of the virtual camera.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the three types of ready postures that theplayer character can take. As shown in FIG. 13, the horizontal readyposture is a posture that the player character 201 can take when theshooting direction is substantially horizontal. Specifically, thehorizontal ready posture is a posture in which the player character 201,in a standing position, holds the bow object 202 toward the forwarddirection thereof. When taking the horizontal ready posture, the playercharacter 201 is directed with its head upward in the game space. In theexemplary embodiment, if the special operation mode is started duringthe normal falling, the low-velocity falling, or the diving fallingdescribed above, the game system 1 controls the player character 201 totake the horizontal ready posture.

As shown in FIG. 13, the downward ready posture is a posture that theplayer character 201 can take when the shooting direction issubstantially downward. Specifically, the downward ready posture is aposture in which the player character 201 holds the bow object 202toward the traveling direction (i.e., falling direction). When takingthe downward ready posture, the player character 201 is directed withits head downward in the game space. In the exemplary embodiment, if thespecial operation mode is started during the high-velocity falling, thegame system 1 controls the player character 201 to take the downwardready posture.

As shown in FIG. 13, the upward ready posture is a posture that theplayer character 201 can take when the shooting direction issubstantially upward. Specifically, the upward ready posture is aposture in which the player character 201 holds the bow object 202toward the forward direction thereof with its knees being bent a little.When the player character 201 takes the upward ready posture, theforward direction of the player character 201 is directed upward in thegame space (e.g., face-up posture). In the exemplary embodiment, if thespecial operation mode is started during the backward falling, the gamesystem 1 controls the player character 201 to take the upward readyposture.

In the exemplary embodiment, since the player character 201 can take thethree types of ready postures, it is possible to control the motion ofthe player character 201 so as to take a natural ready postureregardless of whichever direction in the game space the shootingdirection is. Moreover, according to the exemplary embodiment, the rangeof the shooting direction can be increased while causing the playercharacter 201 to take a natural ready posture.

In the exemplary embodiment, in the special operation mode, the gamesystem 1 sets the posture of the player character at the start of thespecial operation mode, according to the posture immediately before thestart of the special operation mode. For example, if the posture of theplayer character immediately before the start of the special operationmode is the posture in which the upward direction of the playercharacter is directed upward in the game space (e.g., the posture ofnormal falling or low-velocity falling), the game system 1 sets theposture at the start of the special operation mode to the posture inwhich the upward direction of the player character is directed upward inthe game space. Meanwhile, if the posture of the player characterimmediately before the start of the special operation mode is theposture in which the upward direction of the player character isdirected downward in the game space (e.g., the posture of high-velocityfalling), the game system 1 sets the posture at the start of the specialoperation mode to the posture in which the upward direction of theplayer character is directed downward in the game space. Thus, in theexemplary embodiment, the ready posture after the transition to thespecial operation mode varies depending on the falling state of theplayer character 201 immediately before the transition to the specialoperation mode. Thus, the behavior of the posture change of the playercharacter 201 at the transition to the special operation mode can bemade natural.

In the exemplary embodiment, during the special operation mode, theready posture of the player character 201 changes among theaforementioned three types of ready postures. Specifically, during thespecial operation mode, the game system 1 may change the ready postureof the player character 201 from the horizontal ready posture to thedownward ready posture or the upward ready posture (see FIG. 13).Meanwhile, during the special operation mode, the game system 1 maychange the ready posture of the player character 201 from the downwardready posture or the upward ready posture to the horizontal readyposture (see FIG. 13). Hereinafter a process of changing the readyposture among the three types of ready postures will be described indetail.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a state where the ready posture of theplayer character changes from the downward ready posture to thehorizontal ready posture. In FIG. 14, state A is a state where theplayer character 201 takes the downward ready posture, and the virtualcamera 205 faces vertically downward. Therefore, in the state A, thedirection to which the player character 201 points the arrow isvertically downward according to the direction of the virtual camera205.

In FIG. 14, state B is a state where the direction of the virtual camerais changed in the pitch direction (specifically, upward) from the stateA. In the state B, the direction to which the player character 201points the arrow is also changed according to the direction of thevirtual camera 205, and is upward relative to that in the state A. Inthe state B, the direction of the virtual camera 205 is downwardrelative to a first reference direction. At this time, the playercharacter 201 takes the downward ready posture. In the exemplaryembodiment, the first reference direction is a direction parallel to thehorizontal direction.

In FIG. 14, state C is a state where the direction of the virtual camerais further changed upward from the state B, and is upward relative tothe first reference direction. In the state C, the ready posture of theplayer character 201 is changed from the downward ready posture to thehorizontal ready posture. That is, the game system 1 changes the readyposture of the player character 201 from the downward ready posture tothe horizontal ready posture, in response to that the direction of thevirtual camera 205 is changed upward relative to the first referencedirection. At this time, the direction of the player character 201(specifically, the direction of the body of the player character 201)viewed from the virtual camera 205 changes. That is, when the playercharacter 201 takes the downward ready posture, the lower side of thebody of the player character 201 is directed toward the virtual camera205. Meanwhile, when the player character 201 takes the horizontal readyposture, the rear side of the body of the player character 201 isdirected toward the virtual camera 205. This allows the player to easilyrecognize that the ready posture is changed.

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment, in thespecial operation mode, the game system 1 changes the posture of theplayer character 201 such that the upward direction of the playercharacter 201 is directed upward in the game space (e.g., the horizontalready posture) in response to that a component, in the pitch direction,of the direction of the virtual camera 205 is changed from a state ofbeing downward relative to the first reference direction (e.g., thestate B shown in FIG. 14) to a state of being upward relative to thefirst reference direction (e.g., the state C in FIG. 14). Thus, the gamesystem 1 can change the arrow shooting direction from the verticallydownward direction to the horizontal direction while keeping the postureof the player character 201 natural. Moreover, the posture of the playercharacter 201 having been changed enables the player to recognize thatthe direction of the virtual camera has become upward relative to thereference (i.e., the first reference direction). Thus, the player caneasily recognize to which direction the shooting direction is pointed inthe game space.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a state where the ready posture of theplayer character changes from the horizontal ready posture to thedownward ready posture. The state C in FIG. 15 is the same as the stateC shown in FIG. 14, in which the player character 201 takes thehorizontal ready posture, and the direction of the virtual camera 205 isa little upward relative to the horizontal direction.

In FIG. 15, state D is a state where the direction of the virtual camera205 is changed downward from the state C. In the state D, the directionto which the player character 201 points the arrow is also changedaccording to the direction of the virtual camera 205, and is moredownward than that in the state C. In the state D, the direction of thevirtual camera 205 is downward relative to a second reference direction.In the state D, the ready posture of the player character 201 is changedfrom the horizontal ready posture to the downward ready posture. Thatis, the game system 1 changes the ready posture of the player character201 from the horizontal ready posture to the downward ready posture inresponse to that the direction of the virtual camera 205 is changeddownward relative to the second reference direction. For example, whenthe player character 201 takes the posture of the state C, it isdifficult to cause the player character 201 to take a posture ofdirecting the arrow vertically downward. However, it is easy to causethe player character 201 to take a posture of directing the arrowdownward by changing the posture thereof to the state D.

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment, in thespecial operation mode, the game system 1 changes the posture of theplayer character 201 such that the upward direction of the playercharacter 201 is directed downward in the game space (e.g., the downwardready posture) in response to that a component, in the pitch direction,of the direction of the virtual camera 205 is changed from a state ofbeing upward relative to the second reference direction (e.g., the stateD in FIG. 14) to a state of being downward relative to the secondreference direction (e.g., the state C in FIG. 15). Thus, the gamesystem 1 can change the arrow shooting direction from the horizontaldirection to the downward direction while keeping the ready posture ofthe player character 201 natural. Moreover, the posture of the playercharacter 201 having been changed enables the player to recognize thatthe direction of the virtual camera has become downward relative to thereference (i.e., the second reference direction). Thus, the player caneasily recognize to which direction the shooting direction is pointed inthe game space. In another embodiment, the posture having been changedmay be a posture in which the forward direction of the player character201 is directed downward in the virtual space (e.g., face-down posture).

In the exemplary embodiment, the first reference direction is thehorizontal direction while the second reference direction is a littledownward relative to the horizontal direction (i.e., the angle of thesecond reference direction with respect to the horizontal direction is adepression angle). That is, the first reference direction is set to beupward relative to the second reference direction. This reduces the riskof an unnatural motion such that the posture of the player character 201is frequently switched between the downward ready posture and thehorizontal ready posture due to the direction of the virtual camerabeing frequently switched across the reference direction.

In another embodiment, the first reference direction and the secondreference direction may be the same direction.

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment, the gamesystem 1, in the special operation mode, changes the ready posture ofthe player character (i.e., changes the type of ready posture) as achange in the posture of the player character according to a component,regarding at least the pitch direction, of the direction of the virtualcamera. This allows the player character to take a natural ready postureaccording to the shooting direction.

While switching between the horizontal ready posture and the downwardready posture of the player character 201 in the special operation modehas been described, switching between the horizontal ready posture andthe upward ready posture is similarly performed. That is, the gamesystem 1 changes the posture of the player character 201 from thehorizontal ready posture to the upward ready posture, in response tothat a component, in the pitch direction, of the direction of thevirtual camera 205 is changed from a state of being downward relative toa third reference direction to a state of being upward relative to thethird reference direction. The third reference direction is, forexample, upward relative to the horizontal direction (i.e., the angle ofthe third reference direction with respect to the horizontal directionis an elevation angle). Moreover, the game system 1 changes the postureof the player character 201 from the upward ready posture to thehorizontal ready posture, in response to that the component, in thepitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera 205 is changedfrom a state of being upward relative to a fourth reference direction toa state of being downward relative to the fourth reference direction.The fourth reference direction is set to be upward relative to thehorizontal direction, and downward relative to the third referencedirection. Thus, the same effect as that of the switching between thehorizontal ready posture and the downward ready posture can be achievedfor the switching between the horizontal ready posture and the upwardready posture. In another embodiment, the first reference direction andthe second reference direction may be the same direction.

In the exemplary embodiment, the ready posture of the player character201 is also changed by the turn start instruction or the turn endinstruction performed by the player. Specifically, when the readyposture of the player character is the horizontal ready posture or thedownward ready posture, the ready posture of the player character 201 ischanged to the upward ready posture according to the turn startinstruction by the player (see FIG. 13). Meanwhile, when the readyposture of the player character is the upward ready posture, the readyposture of the player character 201 is changed to the ready posture(specifically, the horizontal ready posture or the downward readyposture) immediately before the upward ready posture, according to theturn end instruction by the player.

During the special operation mode, the player character 201 performs theshooting action in response to that the shooting instruction has beenperformed. That is, the player character 201 performs an action ofshooting an arrow, whereby an arrow object flies (i.e., moves) in theshooting direction. When the shooting action has been performed, thegame system 1 decreases the stamina of the player character 201 by apredetermined amount. If the stamina becomes 0 in the middle of thespecial operation mode, the game system 1 ends the special operationmode, and sets the player character 201 in the state of normal falling.That is, in the exemplary embodiment, the special operation mode isended not only by the ready posture end instruction but also by thestamina of the player character 201 having become 0.

In the exemplary embodiment, if the special operation mode is ended bythe ready posture end instruction while the player character 201 takesthe horizontal ready posture in the special operation mode, the playercharacter 201 enters the state of normal falling. Meanwhile, if thespecial operation mode is ended by the ready posture end instructionwhile the player character 201 takes the downward ready posture in thespecial operation mode, the player character 201 enters the state ofhigh-velocity falling. If the special operation mode is ended by theready posture end instruction while the player character 201 takes theupward ready posture in the special operation mode, the player character201 enters the state of backward falling. Thus, the behavior of theposture change of the player character 201 before and after the end ofthe special operation mode can be made natural.

As described above, in the exemplary embodiment, the player character201 can take a plurality of types of ready postures in the specialoperation mode, and the game system 1 changes the type of the readyposture according to the direction of the virtual camera. Thus, therange of the shooting direction can be increased while causing theplayer character 201 to take a natural ready posture.

When the player character 201 is in the air, the ground may not comeinto view of the player. In this case, it may be difficult for theplayer to recognize to which direction the player character 201 isdirected in the game space because, for example, nothing is presentaround the player character 201. Therefore, when the player character201 is in the air, the player may lose sight of the direction to whichthe shooting direction is directed in the game space. In contrast,according to the exemplary embodiment, since the posture (specifically,ready posture) of the player character is changed according to thedirection of the virtual camera, the player can roughly recognize theup-down direction of the game space by the posture of the playercharacter. Thus, the possibility that the player loses sight of theshooting direction can be reduced.

3. Specific Example of Processing in Game System

Next, a specific example of information processing in the game system 1will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19.

FIG. 16 shows an example of various data to be used for the informationprocessing in the game system 1. The various data shown in FIG. 16 arestored in a storage medium (e.g., the flash memory 84, the DRAM 85,and/or a memory card attached to the slot 23) that is accessible by themain body apparatus 2.

As shown in FIG. 16, the game system 1 stores therein a game program.The game program is a program for executing a game (specifically, gamecontrol processing shown in FIG. 17) according to the exemplaryembodiment. The game system 1 stores therein operation data, cameradata, and character data.

The operation data is transmitted from the controllers 3 and 4 to themain body apparatus 2 and stored in the main body apparatus 2 asdescribed above. In the exemplary embodiment, the operation dataincludes input data indicating inputs to the respective input sectionsdescribed above. The camera data indicates information regarding avirtual camera set in a virtual game space (e.g., information indicatingthe position, the direction, etc., of the virtual camera).

The character data indicates information regarding a player characterplaced in the game space. In the exemplary embodiment, the characterdata includes position data, direction data, and posture data. Theposition data indicates the position of the player character in the gamespace. The direction data indicates the direction of the playercharacter in the game space. The posture data indicates the postures ofthe player character (specifically, the postures in the falling states,the ready postures, etc.). The character data may include dataindicating various parameters (e.g., stamina) set on the playercharacter, in addition to the aforementioned data.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of game controlprocessing executed by the game system 1. The game control processingshown in FIG. 17 is started in response to that the player character 201is placed in the game space during execution of the game program.Although not shown in FIG. 17, the game control processing is ended whena menu screen is displayed by an instruction of the user or when thegame is ended by an instruction of the user.

In the exemplary embodiment, the processor 81 of the main body apparatus2 executes the game program stored in the game system 1, therebyexecuting processes in steps shown in FIG. 17. However, in anotherembodiment, a part of the processes in the steps may be executed by aprocessor (e.g., a dedicated circuit or the like) other than theprocessor 81. If the game system 1 is communicable with anotherinformation processing apparatus (e.g., a server), a part of theprocesses in the steps shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 may be executed by theinformation processing apparatus. The processes in the steps shown inFIGS. 17 to 19 are merely examples, and the processing order of thesteps may be changed or other processes may be executed in addition to(or instead of) the processes in the steps, so long as similar resultscan be obtained.

The processor 81 executes the processes in the steps shown in FIGS. 17to 19 by using a memory (e.g., the DRAM 85). That is, the processor 81stores, in the memory, information (in other words, data) obtained ineach process step, and reads out the information from the memory whenusing the information in the subsequent process steps.

In step S1 shown in FIG. 17, the processor 81 determines whether or notthe player character is in the falling state. For example, the processor81 determines that the player character is in the falling state, whenthe player character is in the air and is falling toward the ground froma place of a predetermined height or more. Meanwhile, the processor 81determines that the player character is not in the falling state, whenthe player character is in contact with the ground, or when the playercharacter is in the air and is falling toward the ground from a placelower than the predetermined height. When the determination result instep 1 is negative, the process in step S2 is executed. When thedetermination result in step S1 is positive, the process in step S3 isexecuted.

In step S2, the processor 81 executes a control process for causing theplayer character to move on a terrain object. For example, the processor81 causes the player character to perform a motion of moving (e.g.,walking or running) on the terrain object, according to a directioninput to the controller (e.g., a direction input to the analog stick32). At this time, the processor 81 updates the character data stored inthe memory so as to indicate the content after the motion control of theplayer character. Moreover, in step S2, the processor 81 creates a gameimage showing a game space after the control process, and displays thegame image on the display 12. The process in step S2 may be the same asthe conventional game control process. The game system 1 may execute aprocess of controlling the movements of other objects such as a virtualcamera, an enemy object, etc., in addition to executing the process ofcontrolling the movement of the player character. Next to step S2, theprocess in step S1 is executed again.

A process loop of steps S1 and S2 is executed once every predeterminedtime (e.g., every frame time). That is, in the exemplary embodiment, theprocessor 81 performs the determination in step S1 once everypredetermined time.

In step S3, the processor 81 determines an initial posture of falling,and controls the motion of the player character so that the playercharacter takes the determined posture. As described above, in theexemplary embodiment, when the player character falls from a heightwithout performing a jumping action, the processor 81 sets the postureof normal falling as the initial posture. On the other hand, when theplayer character falls from a height after performing a jumping action,the processor 81 sets the posture of diving falling as the initialposture. At this time, the processor 81 updates the content of theposture data stored in the memory so as to indicate the set posture.Next to step S3, the process in step S4 is executed.

In step S4, the processor 81 determines whether or not a ready posturestart instruction has been performed by the player. When thedetermination result in step S4 is positive, the process in step S10described later is executed. When the determination result in step S4 isnegative, the process in step S5 is executed.

In step S5, the processor 81 determines whether or not to change theposture of the falling player character. Specifically, the processor 81determines whether or not an instruction to change the posture of thefalling player character (e.g., an item use instruction, a divinginstruction, etc.) has been performed by the player, and whether or notthe stamina of the player character has become 0. When the instructionhas been performed or when the stamina of the player character hasbecome 0, the processor 81 determines to change the posture of thefalling player character. On the other hand, when the instruction hasnot been performed and the stamina of the player character is not 0, theprocessor 81 determines not to change the posture of the falling playercharacter. When the determination result in step S5 is positive, theprocess in step S6 is executed. When the determination result in step S5is negative, the process in step S6 is skipped and the process in stepS7 is executed.

During the game control processing, the processor 81 determines whetheror not various instructions have been performed by the player, based onthe operation data acquired from the controller 3 or 4. Here, theprocessor 81 acquires, at an appropriate timing, the operation datareceived from each controller via the controller communication section83 and/or the terminals 17 and 21, and stores the operation data in thememory. Based on the acquired operation data, the processor 81determines, at an appropriate timing, whether or not an instruction hasbeen performed by the player. When an instruction has been performed,the processor 81 specifies the content of the instruction.

In step S6, the processor 81 changes the posture of the falling playercharacter. The posture after the change is determined according to themethod described in the above “[2-1. Posture during falling]”. That is,when it is determined in step S5 that the instruction to change theposture has been performed by the player, the processor 81 controls theplayer character to take the posture according to the instruction.Alternatively, when it is determined in step S5 that the stamina of theplayer character has become 0, the processor 81 controls the playercharacter to take the posture of normal falling. At this time, theprocessor 81 updates the content of the posture data stored in thememory so as to indicate the posture having been changed. Next to stepS6, the process in step S7 is executed.

In step S7, the processor 81 causes the player character to move (here,to fall) in the game space. The movement of the player character iscontrolled by the method described in the above “[2-1. Posture duringfalling]”. That is, the processor 81 causes the player character to movein the gravity direction (i.e., vertical downward direction) in the gamespace, and when a movement instruction has been performed by the player,causes the player character to move in the direction according to themovement instruction. Moreover, when a movement instruction and/or acamera instruction have been performed by the player, the processor 81changes the direction of the player character according to theinstructions. At this time, the processor 81 updates the content of theposition data stored in the memory so as to indicate the position of theplayer character having been moved, and updates the content of thedirection data stored in the memory so as to indicate the direction ofthe player character having been moved. When the player character is inthe state of low-velocity falling, the processor 81 decreases thestamina of the player character by a predetermined amount according tothe lapse of time while the player character is falling. Next to stepS7, the process in step S8 is executed.

In step S7, the processor 81 may control, according to need, motions ofobjects (e.g., an enemy object, a shot arrow object, etc.) other thanthe player character in the game space.

In step S8, the processor 81 causes the virtual camera in the game spaceto move. The movement of the virtual camera is controlled by the methoddescribed in the above “[2-1. Posture during falling]”. That is, theprocessor 81 changes the position and the direction of the virtualcamera according to a camera instruction performed by the player. Asdescribed above, the virtual camera is controlled such that the positionand the direction thereof allow the player character 201 to be includedin the field of view of the virtual camera. Therefore, in step S8, whena camera instruction has not been performed by the player, the processor81 changes the position of the virtual camera so as to move downwardaccording to falling of the player character. Meanwhile, when the divingfalling or the backward falling has been started, (i.e., when, in stepS6, the posture of the player character has been changed to the postureof diving falling or backward falling), the processor 81 sets thevirtual camera to be directed to a predetermined direction. In step S8,the processor 81 updates the content of the camera data stored in thememory so as to indicate the position and the direction of the virtualcamera having been moved. Next to step S8, the process in step S9 isexecuted.

In step S9, the processor 81 creates a game image showing a game space,and displays the game image on the display 12. This game image iscreased based on the character data and the camera data updated in stepsS6 to S8. That is, the processor 81 creates the game image such that thegame space indicating the position, direction, and posture of the playercharacter which are changed in steps S6 and S7 is viewed in a directionbased on the direction of the virtual camera from the position of thevirtual camera that is set in step S8. The game image creating processin step S9 is repeatedly executed once every predetermined time (e.g.,every frame time). That is, the process loop of steps S4 to S11 isrepeatedly executed once every predetermined time, excluding a casewhere the process of step S10 described below is executed. A displaydevice on which the game image is displayed may be the display 12 of themain body apparatus 2, or the stationary monitor connected to the mainbody apparatus 2. Next to step S9, the process in step S11 is executed.

Meanwhile, in step S10, the processor 81 executes a special operationmode process that is a process to be executed in the special operationmode. The special operation mode process will be described later indetail (see FIG. 18). Next to step S10, the process in step S11 isexecuted.

In step S11, the processor 81 determines whether or not falling of theplayer character has ended. For example, the processor 81 determineswhether or not the player character has come into contact with a terrainobject such as the ground. When the determination result in step S11 ispositive, the process in step S1 is executed again. When thedetermination result in step S11 is negative, the process in step S4 isexecuted. Thereafter, a series of processes in steps S4 to S11 isrepeatedly executed until it is determined in step S11 that falling ofthe player character has ended.

FIG. 18 is a sub-flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of thespecial operation mode process in step S9 shown in FIG. 17. In thespecial operation mode process, firstly, in step S21, the processor 81determines whether or not the falling state of the player characterimmediately before the start of the special operation mode process wasthe high-velocity falling, based on the posture data stored in thememory. When the determination result in step S21 is positive, theprocess in step S22 is executed. When the determination result in stepS21 is negative, the process in step S23 is executed.

In step S22, the processor 81 controls the motion of the playercharacter so that the player character takes the downward ready posture.That is, the processor 81 updates the content of the posture data storedin the memory so as to indicate the downward ready posture. Next to stepS22, the process in step S26 is executed.

In step S23, the processor 81, based on the posture data stored in thememory, determines whether or not the falling state of the playercharacter immediately before the start of the special operation modeprocess was the backward falling. When the determination result in stepS23 is positive, the process in step S24 is executed. When thedetermination result in step S23 is negative, the process in step S25 isexecuted.

In step S24, the processor 81 controls the motion of the playercharacter so that the player character takes the upward ready posture.That is, the processor 81 updates the content of the posture data storedin the memory so as to indicate the upward ready posture. Next to stepS24, the process in step S26 is executed.

In step S25, the processor 81 controls the motion of the playercharacter so that the player character takes the horizontal readyposture. Here, the process in step S25 is executed when the fallingstate of the player character immediately before the start of thespecial operation mode process was the normal falling, the low-velocityfalling, or the diving falling. Therefore, the processor 81 updates thecontent of the posture data stored in the memory so as to indicate thehorizontal ready posture. Next to step S25, the process in step S26 isexecuted.

In step S26, the processor 81 causes the player character to move (here,to fall) in the game space. That is, the processor 81 causes the playercharacter to move in the gravity direction (i.e., vertical downwarddirection) in the game space. At this time, the processor 81 updates thecontent of the position data stored in the memory so as to indicate theposition of the player character having been moved. Next to step S26,the process in step S27 is executed.

In step S26, the processor 81 may control, according to need, motions ofobjects (e.g., an enemy object, a shot arrow object, etc.) other thanthe player character in the game space.

In step S27, the processor 81 determines whether or not a camerainstruction has been performed by the player. When the determinationresult in step S27 is positive, the process in step S28 is executed.When the determination result in step S27 is negative, the process instep S31 is executed.

In step S28, the processor 81 causes the virtual camera to move in thegame space according to the camera instruction by the player. Movementof the virtual camera is controlled according to the method described inthe above “[2. Outline of processing in game system]”. Next to step S28,the process in step S29 is executed.

In step S29, the processor 81 executes a posture change process. Theposture change process is a process of changing the ready posture(specifically, the type of ready posture) of the player character,according to the direction of the virtual camera. Hereinafter, theposture change process will be described in detail with reference toFIG. 19.

FIG. 19 is a sub-flowchart showing an example of a specific flow of theposture change process in step S29 shown in FIG. 18. In the posturechange process, firstly, in step S40, the processor 81 determineswhether or not the current ready posture of the player character is thedownward ready posture, based on the posture data stored in the memory.When the determination result in step S40 is positive, the process instep S41 is executed. When the determination result in step S40 isnegative, the process in step S43 is executed.

In step S41, the processor 81 determines whether or not the direction ofthe virtual camera is upward relative to the first reference direction,based on the camera data stored in the memory. When the determinationresult in step S41 is positive, the process in step S42 is executed.When the determination result in step S41 is negative, the process instep S50 is executed.

In step S42, the processor 81 changes the ready posture of the playercharacter to the horizontal ready posture. That is, the processor 81updates the content of the posture data stored in the memory so as toindicate the horizontal ready posture. Next to step S42, the process instep S50 is executed.

In step S43, the processor 81 determines whether or not the currentready posture of the player character is the upward ready posture, basedon the posture data stored in the memory. When the determination resultin step S43 is positive, the process in step S44 is executed. When thedetermination result in step S43 is negative, the process in step S46 isexecuted.

In step S44, the processor 81 determines whether or not the currentdirection of the virtual camera is downward relative to the thirdreference direction, based on the camera data stored in the memory. Whenthe determination result in step S44 is positive, the process in stepS45 is performed. When the determination result in step S44 is negative,the process in step S50 is executed.

In step S45, the processor 81 changes the ready posture of the playercharacter to the horizontal ready posture. That is, the processor 81updates the content of the posture data stored in the memory so as toindicate the horizontal ready posture. Next to step S45, the process instep S50 is executed.

The process in step S46 is executed when the current ready posture ofthe player character is the horizontal ready posture. Therefore, in stepS46, the processor 81 determines whether or not the direction of thevirtual camera is downward relative to the second reference direction,based on the camera data stored in the memory. When the determinationresult in step S46 is positive, the process in step S47 is executed.When the determination result in step S46 is negative, the process instep S48 is executed.

In step S47, the processor 81 changes the ready posture of the playercharacter to the downward ready posture. That is, the processor 81updates the content of the posture data stored in the memory so as toindicate the downward ready posture. Next to step S47, the process instep S50 is executed.

In step S48, the processor 81 determines whether or not the direction ofthe virtual camera is upward relative to the fourth reference direction,based on the camera data stored in the memory. When the determinationresult in step S48 is positive, the process in step S49 is executed.When the determination result in step S48 is negative, the process instep S50 is executed.

In step S49, the processor 81 changes the ready posture of the playercharacter to the upward ready posture. That is, the processor 81 updatesthe content of the posture data stored in the memory so as to indicatethe upward ready posture. Next to step S49, the process in step S50 isexecuted.

In step S50, the processor 81 changes the ready posture according to theturn start instruction or the turn end instruction by the player.Specifically, when the turn start instruction is performed by the playerwhile the ready posture of the player character is the horizontal readyposture or the downward ready posture, the processor 81 changes theready posture of the player character 201 to the upward ready posture.When the turn end instruction is performed by the player while the readyposture of the player character is the upward ready posture, theprocessor 81 changes the ready posture of the player character 201 tothe ready posture (specifically, the horizontal ready posture or thedownward ready posture) immediately before the upward ready posture. Theprocessor 81 updates the content of the posture data stored in thememory so as to indicate the ready posture having been changed.Moreover, in step S50, when neither the turn start instruction nor theturn end instruction have been performed by the player, the processor 81ends the process in step S50 without changing the ready posture. Afterstep S50, the processor 81 ends the posture change process.

Referring back to FIG. 18, after the process in step S29, the process instep S30 is executed. In step S30, the processor 81 sets a shootingdirection in which the player character shoots an arrow, based on thedirection of the virtual camera. Specifically, the processor 81 sets theshooting direction so as to coincide with the direction of the virtualcamera. Moreover, the processor 81 controls the posture and/or directionof the player character such that the player character points the arrowto the shooting direction. In step S30, the type of the ready posture ofthe player character is not changed. Next to step S30, the process instep S32 is executed.

In step S31, the processor 81 moves the virtual camera according to thefalling motion of the player character. At this time, the processor 81updates the content of the camera data stored in the memory so as toindicate the position and the direction of the virtual camera havingbeen moved. Next to step S31, the process in step S32 is executed.

In step S32, the processor 81 determines whether or not a shootinginstruction has been performed by the player. When the determinationresult in step S32 is positive, the process in step S33 is executed.When the determination result in step S32 is negative, step S33 isskipped and the process in step S34 is executed.

In step S33, the processor 81 causes the player character to perform ashooting action of shooting the arrow. Moreover, the processor 81 causesthe arrow object to move to the shooting direction in the game space. Inthe exemplary embodiment, during the special operation mode, a series ofprocesses in steps S26 to S35 is executed once every predetermined time(e.g., every frame time). The processor 81 may control the motion of theplayer character to perform the shooting action over a plurality offrames. The processor 81 decreases the stamina of the player characterby a predetermined amount according to the shooting of the arrow. Nextto step S33, the process in step S34 is executed.

In step S34, the processor 81 creates a game image showing a game space,and displays the game image on the display 12. This game image iscreated based on the character data updated in steps S22, S24 to S26,S29, S30 and/or S33, and on the camera data updated in step S28 or S31.That is, the player character is placed in the game space at theposition changed in step S26 so as to take the posture updated in stepS22, S24 to S26, S29, S30 and/or S33. Meanwhile, the virtual camera islocated at the position and the direction set in step S28 or S31 suchthat the player character is included in the field of view of thevirtual camera. The processor 81 creates a game image as viewed in adirection according to the direction of the virtual camera from theposition of the virtual camera, and displays the game image on thedisplay 12. The game image creating process in step S34 is repeatedlyexecuted once every predetermined time (e.g., every frame time) untilthe special operation mode is ended. That is, a process loop of stepsS26 to S35 is repeatedly executed once every predetermined time untilthe special operation mode is ended. Next to step S34, the process instep S35 is executed.

In step S35, the processor 81 determines whether or not to end thespecial operation mode. Various criteria for ending the specialoperation mode can be set. For example, the processor 81 determineswhether or not a ready posture end instruction has been performed by theplayer, whether or not the stamina of the player character has become 0,and whether or not falling of the player character has ended because,for example, the player character has come into contact with the ground.The processor 81 determines to end the special operation mode when theready posture end instruction has been performed, when the stamina ofthe player character has become 0, or when falling of the playercharacter has ended. On the other hand, the processor 81 determines notto end the special operation mode when no ready posture end instructionis performed, the stamina of the player character is not 0, and fallingof the player character is not ended yet. When the determination resultin step S35 is positive, the processor 81 ends the special operationmode process. When the determination result in step S35 is negative, theprocess in step S26 is executed again. Thereafter, a series of processesin steps S26 to S35 is repeatedly executed until it is determined to endthe special operation mode in step S35.

4. Function and Effect of Exemplary Embodiment, and Modifications

As described above, in the above exemplary embodiment, the game programcauses a computer (e.g., the processor 81) of an information processingapparatus (e.g., the main body apparatus 2) to control a playercharacter in a virtual space (e.g., the game space), based on anoperation input performed by the player (e.g., an operation input to thecontroller 3 or 4 as one example of an operation device) (step S2).

Moreover, in a falling state in which the player character is falling inthe virtual space, the game program causes the computer to perform thefollowing processes.

-   -   a process of controlling at least one of a falling direction and        a falling velocity of the player character that is falling,        based on a character operation input performed by the player        (step S7)    -   a process of controlling a posture of the player character that        is falling, based on a character operation input performed by        the player (steps S5, S6)    -   a process of controlling a direction of a virtual camera, based        on a camera operation input performed by the player (step S8)    -   a process of controlling a position of the virtual camera such        that at least the player character is included in a field of        view of the virtual camera, based on a position of the player        character and the direction of the virtual camera (step S8)

Moreover, in a special operation mode which receives an operation inputfor causing the player character that is falling to perform a specialaction including a shooting action of shooting a predetermined object(e.g., an arrow object), the game program causes the computer to performthe following processes.

-   -   a process of changing the posture of the player character that        is falling, according to a component, regarding at least a pitch        direction, of the direction of the virtual camera based on the        camera operation input (e.g., changing the posture of the player        character such that the direction of the player character as        viewed from the virtual camera changes) (step S29)    -   a process of setting a shooting direction of the predetermined        object during the shooting action, according to the direction of        the virtual camera based on the camera operation input (step        S30)    -   a process of controlling the player character to perform the        shooting action and controlling the predetermined object to move        to the shooting direction, based on a shooting operation input        performed by the player (step S33)

According to the above configuration, in the special operation mode, theshooting direction is controlled according to the direction of thevirtual camera, and the posture of the player character changesaccording to the direction of the virtual camera. Thus, the range of theshooting direction can be increased while causing the player characterto take a natural posture.

Modifications Regarding Shooting Action

In the exemplary embodiment, the player character performs, as theshooting action, an action of shooting an arrow with a bow, and an arrowobject is shot as the predetermined object. The content of the shootingaction is arbitrary, and the content of the predetermined object shot bythe shooting action is also arbitrary. For example, in anotherembodiment, the player character may perform, as the shooting action, anaction of shooting a gun, an action of throwing an object (e.g., aweapon) that the player character grasps, or an action of emitting afireball by a magic.

In the exemplary embodiment, the player character performs, as thespecial action, an action of taking a ready posture, and a shootingaction. In another embodiment, the special action may include at leastthe shooting action, and may not necessarily include actions other thanthe shooting action. The special action may include an action differentfrom the action of taking a ready posture.

In another embodiment, the game system 1 may not necessarily include apart of the components included in the exemplary embodiment, and may notnecessarily perform a part of the processes performed in the exemplaryembodiment. For example, in order to achieve a certain specific effectof the exemplary embodiment, the game system 1 may include a componentfor producing the effect and perform a process for producing the effect,in other words, the information processing system may not necessarilyinclude the other components and perform the other processes.

The exemplary embodiment is usable as, for example, a game system and agame program for the purpose of, for example, increasing the degree offreedom of the direction in which a player character performs an actionwhile naturally expressing the posture of the player character inmidair.

While certain example systems, methods, devices and apparatuses havebeen described herein, it is to be understood that the appended claimsare not to be limited to the systems, methods, devices and apparatusesdisclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumhaving stored therein a game program to be executed by a processor in aninformation processing apparatus, the program causing the processor toexecute controlling a player character in a virtual space, based on anoperation input performed by a player, in a falling state in which theplayer character is falling in the virtual space, the program causingthe processor to execute: controlling at least one of a fallingdirection and a falling velocity of the player character that isfalling, based on a character operation input performed by the player;controlling a posture of the player character that is falling, based ona character operation input performed by the player; controlling adirection of a virtual camera, based on a camera operation inputperformed by the player; and controlling a position of the virtualcamera such that at least the player character is included in a field ofview of the virtual camera, based on a position of the player characterand the direction of the virtual camera, in a special operation modewhich receives an operation input for causing the player character thatis falling to perform a special action including a shooting action ofshooting a predetermined object, the program causing the processor toexecute: changing the posture of the player character that is falling,according to a component, regarding at least a pitch direction, of thedirection of the virtual camera based on the camera operation input;setting a shooting direction of the predetermined object during theshooting action, according to the direction of the virtual camera basedon the camera operation input; and controlling the player character toperform the shooting action and controlling the predetermined object tomove to the shooting direction, based on a shooting operation inputperformed by the player.
 2. The storage medium according to claim 1,wherein the game program causes the processor to execute: in the fallingstate, controlling the player character such that the posture of theplayer character corresponds to at least one of a plurality of types ofpostures including a posture in which an upward direction of the playercharacter is directed downward in the virtual space, and a posture inwhich a forward direction of the player character is directed downwardin the virtual space; and in the falling state, controlling at least oneof the falling direction and the falling velocity according to theposture of the player character.
 3. The storage medium according toclaim 1, wherein the game program causes the processor to execute, inthe special operation mode, controlling a motion of the player charactersuch that the player character takes a ready posture for the shootingaction, toward a direction according to the component, regarding atleast the pitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera basedon the camera operation input.
 4. The storage medium according to claim3, wherein the game program causes the processor to execute, in thespecial operation mode, changing the ready posture of the playercharacter, as a change in the posture of the player character accordingto the component, regarding at least the pitch direction, of thedirection of the virtual camera.
 5. The storage medium according toclaim 1, wherein the game program causes the processor to execute, inthe special operation mode, changing the posture of the player charactersuch that an upward direction of the player character is directed upwardin the virtual space, in response to that the component, regarding thepitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera is changed froma state being downward relative to a first reference direction to astate of being upward relative to the first reference direction.
 6. Thestorage medium according to claim 5, wherein the game program causes theprocessor to execute, in the special operation mode, changing theposture of the player character such that the upward direction of theplayer character is directed downward in the virtual space or a forwarddirection of the player character is directed downward in the virtualspace, in response to that the component, regarding the pitch direction,of the direction of the virtual camera is changed from a state of beingupward relative to a second reference direction, which is the same as ordifferent from the first reference direction, to a state of beingdownward relative to the second reference direction.
 7. The storagemedium according to claim 6, wherein the first reference direction isupward relative to the second reference direction.
 8. The storage mediumaccording to claim 1, wherein the game program causes the processor toexecute, in the special operation mode, setting the posture of theplayer character at a start of the special operation mode, according tothe posture of the player character immediately before the start of thespecial operation mode.
 9. The storage medium according to claim 1,wherein the game program causes the processor to execute, in the fallingstate, setting the virtual camera such that the direction of the virtualcamera is directed upward in the virtual space, based on a directionchange operation input performed by the player.
 10. The storage mediumaccording to claim 9, wherein the game program causes the processor tofurther execute, in the falling state, setting the posture of the playercharacter such that a forward direction of the player character isdirected upward in the virtual space, based on the direction changeoperation input.
 11. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein inthe falling state, the game program causes the processor to executestarting the special operation mode in response to that a predeterminedkey input by the player is started, the shooting operation input is aninput to end the predetermined key input for starting the specialoperation mode, and the game program causes the processor to executeending the special operation mode, based on an end operation inputperformed by the player.
 12. The storage medium according to claim 1,wherein the game program causes the processor to execute, in the specialoperation mode, displaying an animation showing a state in which theplayer character appears to fall at a falling velocity lower than thefalling velocity of the player character when it is not in the specialoperation mode.
 13. An information processing apparatus comprising aprocessor, the processor configured to control a player character in avirtual space, based on an operation input performed by a player, in afalling state where the player character is falling in the virtualspace, the processor configured to: control at least one of a fallingdirection and a falling velocity of the player character that isfalling, based on a character operation input performed by the player;control a posture of the player character that is falling, based on acharacter operation input performed by the player; control a directionof a virtual camera, based on a camera operation input performed by theplayer; and control a position of the virtual camera such that at leastthe player character is included in a field of view of the virtualcamera, based on a position of the player character and the direction ofthe virtual camera, in a special operation mode which receives anoperation input for causing the player character that is falling toperform a special action including a shooting action of shooting apredetermined object, the processor configured to: change the posture ofthe player character that is falling, according to a component,regarding at least a pitch direction, of the direction of the virtualcamera based on the camera operation input; set a shooting direction ofthe predetermined object during the shooting action, according to thedirection of the virtual camera based on the camera operation input; andcontrol the player character to perform the shooting action and controlthe predetermined object to move to the shooting direction, based on ashooting operation input performed by the player.
 14. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in the fallingstate, the processor controls the player character such that the postureof the player character corresponds to at least one of a plurality oftypes of postures including a posture in which an upward direction ofthe player character is directed downward in the virtual space, and aposture in which a forward direction of the player character is directeddownward in the virtual space, and controls at least one of the fallingdirection and the falling velocity according to the posture of theplayer character.
 15. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 13, wherein in the special operation mode, the processor controlsa motion of the player character such that the player character takes aready posture for the shooting action, toward a direction according tothe component, regarding at least the pitch direction, of the directionof the virtual camera based on the camera operation input.
 16. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein in thespecial operation mode, the processor changes the ready posture of theplayer character, as a change in the posture of the player characteraccording to the component, regarding at least the pitch direction, ofthe direction of the virtual camera.
 17. The information processingapparatus according to claim 13, wherein in the special operation mode,the processor changes the posture of the player character such that anupward direction of the player character is directed upward in thevirtual space, in response to that the component, regarding the pitchdirection, of the direction of the virtual camera is changed from astate of being downward relative to a first reference direction to astate of being upward relative to the first reference direction.
 18. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein in thespecial operation mode, the processor changes the posture of the playercharacter such that the upward direction of the player character isdirected downward in the virtual space or a forward direction of theplayer character is directed downward in the virtual space, in responseto that the component, regarding the pitch direction, of the directionof the virtual camera is changed from a state of being upward relativeto a second reference direction, which is the same as or different fromthe first reference direction, to a state of being downward relative tothe second reference direction.
 19. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 18, wherein the first reference direction is upwardrelative to the second reference direction.
 20. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in the specialoperation mode, the process or sets the posture of the player characterat a start of the special operation mode, according to the posture ofthe player character immediately before the start of the specialoperation mode.
 21. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 13, wherein in the falling state, the processor sets the virtualcamera such that the direction of the virtual camera is directed upwardin the virtual space, based on a direction change operation inputperformed by the player.
 22. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 21, wherein in the falling state, the processor setsthe posture of the player character such that a forward direction of theplayer character is directed upward in the virtual space, based on thedirection change operation input.
 23. The information processingapparatus according to claim 13, wherein in the falling state, theprocessor executes starting the special operation mode in response tothat a predetermined key input by the player is started, the shootingoperation input is an input to end the predetermined key input forstarting the special operation mode, and the processor executes endingthe special operation mode, based on an end operation input performed bythe player.
 24. The information processing apparatus according to claim13, wherein in the special operation mode, the processor causes adisplay device to display an animation showing a state in which theplayer character appears to fall at a falling velocity lower than thefalling velocity of the player character when it is not in the specialoperation mode.
 25. An information processing system comprising acontrol device, and an information processing apparatus including aprocessor, the processor configured to control a player character in avirtual space, based on an operation input performed by a player to thecontrol device, in a falling state in which the player character isfalling in the virtual space, the processor configured to: control atleast one of a falling direction and a falling velocity of the playercharacter that is falling, based on a character operation inputperformed by the player to the control device; control a posture of theplayer character that is falling, based on a character operation inputperformed by the player to the control device; control a direction of avirtual camera, based on a camera operation input performed by theplayer to the control device; and control a position of the virtualcamera such that at least the player character is included in a field ofview of the virtual camera, based on a position of the player characterand the direction of the virtual camera, in a special operation modewhich receives an operation input, to the control device, for causingthe player character that is falling to perform a special actionincluding a shooting action of shooting a predetermined object, theprocessor configured to: change the posture of the player character thatis falling, according to a component, regarding at least a pitchdirection, of the direction of the virtual camera based on the cameraoperation input; set a shooting direction of the predetermined objectduring the shooting action, according to the direction of the virtualcamera based on the camera operation input; and control the playercharacter to perform the shooting action and control the predeterminedobject to move to the shooting direction, based on a shooting operationinput performed by the player to the control device.
 26. The informationprocessing system according to claim 25, wherein in the falling state,the processor controls the player character such that the posture of theplayer character corresponds to at least one of a plurality of types ofpostures including a posture in which an upward direction of the playercharacter is directed downward in the virtual space, and a posture inwhich a forward direction of the player character is directed downwardin the virtual space, and controls at least one of the falling directionand the falling velocity according to the posture of the playercharacter.
 27. The information processing system according to claim 25,wherein in the special operation mode, the processor controls a motionof the player character such that the player character takes a readyposture for the shooting action, toward a direction according to thecomponent, regarding at least the pitch direction, of the direction ofthe virtual camera based on the camera operation input, and changes theready posture of the player character, as a change in the posture of theplayer character according to the component, regarding at least thepitch direction, of the direction of the virtual camera.
 28. Theinformation processing system according to claim 25, wherein in thefalling state, the processor sets the virtual camera such that thedirection of the virtual camera is directed upward in the virtual space,based on a direction change operation input performed by the player tothe control device.
 29. A game processing method executed by aninformation processing system including a processor, wherein theprocessor controls a player character in a virtual space, based on anoperation input performed by a player, in a falling state in which theplayer character is falling in the virtual space, the processor controlsat least one of a falling direction and a falling velocity of the playercharacter that is falling, based on a character operation inputperformed by the player, controls a posture of the player character thatis falling, based on a character operation input performed by theplayer, controls a direction of a virtual camera, based on a cameraoperation input performed by the player, and controls a position of thevirtual camera such that at least the player character is included in afield of view of the virtual camera, based on a position of the playercharacter and the direction of the virtual camera, in a specialoperation mode which receives an operation input for causing the playercharacter that is falling to perform a special action including ashooting action of shooting a predetermined object, the processorchanges the posture of the player character that is falling, accordingto a component, regarding at least a pitch direction, of the directionof the virtual camera based on the camera operation input, sets ashooting direction of the predetermined object during the shootingaction, according to the direction of the virtual camera based on thecamera operation input, and controls the player character to perform theshooting action and control the predetermined object to move to theshooting direction, based on a shooting operation input performed by theplayer.
 30. The game processing method according to claim 29, wherein inthe falling state, the processor controls the player character such thatthe posture of the player character corresponds to at least one of aplurality of types of postures including a posture in which an upwarddirection of the player character is directed downward in the virtualspace, and a posture in which a forward direction of the playercharacter is directed downward in the virtual space, and controls atleast one of the falling direction and the falling velocity according tothe posture of the player character.
 31. The game processing methodaccording to claim 29, wherein in the special operation mode, theprocessor controls a motion of the player character such that the playercharacter takes a ready posture for the shooting action, toward adirection according to the component, regarding at least the pitchdirection, of the direction of the virtual camera based on the cameraoperation input, and changes the ready posture of the player character,as a change in the posture of the player character according to thecomponent, regarding at least the pitch direction, of the direction ofthe virtual camera.
 32. The game processing method according to claim29, wherein in the falling state, the processor sets the virtual camerasuch that the direction of the virtual camera is directed upward in thevirtual space, based on a direction change operation input performed bythe player.